Is U.S. State Department returning to Cold War soft power influence peddling?
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his State Department are taking a page out of America’s past Cold War tensions with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). They are doing this by influence peddling via “soft power” efforts and simultaneously constructing what they call, “a more resilient global information system, where objective facts are elevated and deceptive...
Another African nation interested in joining BRICS
Membership presents an opportunity to challenge the dominance of the dollar and euro, the Burkinabe prime minister says Prime Minister of Burkina Faso Apollinaire Joachim Kyelem de Tambela has expressed an interest in joining BRICS. Membership of the group would make it possible to challenge the “domination of the dollar and the euro,” and to achieve “fairer trade relations on the...
Rival West African alliance to launch new passports
Mali’s transitional president has announced that his country will, along with Burkina Faso and Niger, launch new biometric passports under the new Alliance of Sahel States (AES) they formed last year after falling out with the West African regional bloc. Colonel Assimi Goita’s declaration on Sept. 15 came days after Burkina Faso’s military government issued new biometric passports without the...
Offer of two permanent seats to Africa on UN Security Council is more symbol than substance
As the global community prepares for the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly scheduled for Sept. 22-23 in New York, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, appealed to her African counterparts by offering them two permanent seats on the Security Council. According to theafricareport.com, countering accusations of imperialism from rivals such as China and Russia, Thomas-Greenfield...
Israel lobbying U.S. Congress to pressure South Africa into dropping its ICJ case
While South Africa is receiving increased global support for its International Court of Justice (ICJ) genocide case against Israel, and the International Criminal Court (ICC) head prosecutor, Karim Khan, seeks arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant, the Zionist state is also lobbying the U.S. Congress to pressure the African nation to drop...
Africa’s strategic relationships need to benefit the entire continent
The recent China-Africa Cooperation Forum held Sept. 4-6 and the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit and African-EU (European Union) Commission held in 2022 have all become important events on the African international relations calendar. In the case of the much sought-after China forum, more African leaders attend this annual forum than the United Nations General Assembly. However, it is problematic that...
Africa endorses nominees for 2025 election of AU Commission chair
The process has begun for the February 2025 election of a new African Union Commission chairperson. According to the commission, the consideration for nominees will be made based on vision statements outlining how candidates intend to advance the “transformative agenda of the African Union.” Nominees will also be considered based on their game plan for addressing existing and emerging...
Driving progress: Botswana prepares for historic UN conference on landlocked countries
Leaders from landlocked developing countries, (LLDCs) will gather in Gaborone, Botswana, this December to tackle challenges, explore solutions, and build alliances for a more equitable and prosperous future. At the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, known as LLDC3, innovative solutions and strategic partnerships will be outlined and leveraged to “unlock the full potential of these nations.” LLDC3 is set to...
23 African countries are developing 125 new satellites for budding space program
After numerous delays, Senegal has finally launched its first-ever satellite GAINDESAT-1A into orbit. The feat marks the first stage of the African country’s budding national space program SENSAT. “GAINDESAT-1A is an earth observation nano-satellite built by Senegalese engineers and technicians trained by the Centre Spatiale Universitaire de Montpellier (CSUM) via a partnership with the Senegalese government. The nano-satellite was launched...
Kenya to reintroduce controversial tax measures
Kenya’s government is set to reinstate some of the tax measures that were previously scrapped following deadly protests in June, Kenyan Finance Minister John Mbadi has said. In an interview with Citizen TV news agency on Aug. 18, Mbadi explained that while some of the tax measures would be modified and not all would be reinstated, they are necessary to...